Just under way is the biggest event yet held in New Zealand – the Queenstown Chess Classic. Featuring more than 170 players from over a dozen countries and incorporating the 2006 New Zealand Championship, competition will be fierce.
The tournament promoter is English-based New Zealand grandmaster Murray Chandler. He along with many of the other top seeds has been warming up for the event in the 2006 Australian Open Championship just completed in Brisbane. The winner was Australian number one and top seed in Queenstown, GM Ian Rogers with 9/11. The promising young Australian IM David Smerdon completed his first GM norm (part qualification for the grandmaster title) with a fine performance of 8/11 to share second place with Chandler.
Today's game features Chandler, playing Black, administering a stern lesson to Australian junior James Obst in the third round of the Australian Open Championship.
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.d5 Ne4 4.Bc1 g6 5.f3 Nd6!?
In the Trompovsky Attack after say 4 Bf4 Black often targets the b2 pawn with Qb6. White's 4 Bc1 pre-empted this, but Black's N makes use of the d6 square to support a rapid counter against the White centre with ... f5. 6.e4 Bg7 7.c3 f5 8.exf5 Nxf5 9.Bd3 e5 10.dxe6?! Qh4+ 11.Kf1 dxe6!
Rightly refusing White's tricky offer. After 11 --- Ng3+?! 12 hxg3 Qxh1 13 exd7+ Bxd7 14 Qe2+ White has 2 pawns and a raging attack for the exchange. Now only White's K is stranded in the centre. 12.Qe1 Qd8 13.Bb5+ Nc6 14.Na3 O-O 15.Be3 Qb6 16.Bf2 a6 17.Bxc6 Qxc6 18.g4?
Evicting the pesky N and making room for the K on g2, but neglecting development. The weak pawn on f3 becomes a clear target along the open f-file and long diagonal. 18. --- Nd6 19.Qe3 b6 20.Rd1 Nf7!
Homing in on f3. 21.h4 Ne5 22.Rh3 h6!
Preventing the opening of the h-file by 23 h5. White is allowed no chance. 23.Rg3 Bb7 24.f4?
White cracks under the pressure, losing the f-pawn to a Queen fork. After the better 24 Rd2 Qa4 25 Rd6 (nothing else can move!) Rad8, White must cede the d-file when Black's attack should eventually prevail. 24. --- Qa4! 25.Rd6 Rxf4 26.Rxb6 Qd1+ 27.Qe1 Rxf2+! 28.Kxf2 Rf8+
A nice finish: 29 Rf3 Rxf3+ 30 Kg2 Qxe1 31 Nxf3 Qe2+ 32 Kh3 Qxf3+ 33 Kh2 Qg2 mate.
Australian warm-up for Queenstown Classic
Problem: Black to play and mate in 3.
Just under way is the biggest event yet held in New Zealand – the Queenstown Chess Classic. Featuring more than 170 players from over a dozen countries and incorporating the 2006 New Zealand Championship, competition will be fierce.
The tournament promoter is English-based New Zealand grandmaster Murray Chandler. He along with many of the other top seeds has been warming up for the event in the 2006 Australian Open Championship just completed in Brisbane. The winner was Australian number one and top seed in Queenstown, GM Ian Rogers with 9/11. The promising young Australian IM David Smerdon completed his first GM norm (part qualification for the grandmaster title) with a fine performance of 8/11 to share second place with Chandler.
Today's game features Chandler, playing Black, administering a stern lesson to Australian junior James Obst in the third round of the Australian Open Championship.
1.d4 Nf6
2.Bg5 c5
3.d5 Ne4
4.Bc1 g6
5.f3 Nd6!?
In the Trompovsky Attack after say 4 Bf4 Black often targets the b2 pawn with Qb6. White's 4 Bc1 pre-empted this, but Black's N makes use of the d6 square to support a rapid counter against the White centre with ... f5.
6.e4 Bg7
7.c3 f5
8.exf5 Nxf5
9.Bd3 e5
10.dxe6?! Qh4+
11.Kf1 dxe6!
Rightly refusing White's tricky offer. After 11 --- Ng3+?! 12 hxg3 Qxh1 13 exd7+ Bxd7 14 Qe2+ White has 2 pawns and a raging attack for the exchange. Now only White's K is stranded in the centre.
12.Qe1 Qd8
13.Bb5+ Nc6
14.Na3 O-O
15.Be3 Qb6
16.Bf2 a6
17.Bxc6 Qxc6
18.g4?
Evicting the pesky N and making room for the K on g2, but neglecting development. The weak pawn on f3 becomes a clear target along the open f-file and long diagonal.
18. --- Nd6
19.Qe3 b6
20.Rd1 Nf7!
Homing in on f3.
21.h4 Ne5
22.Rh3 h6!
Preventing the opening of the h-file by 23 h5. White is allowed no chance.
23.Rg3 Bb7
24.f4?
White cracks under the pressure, losing the f-pawn to a Queen fork. After the better 24 Rd2 Qa4 25 Rd6 (nothing else can move!) Rad8, White must cede the d-file when Black's attack should eventually prevail.
24. --- Qa4!
25.Rd6 Rxf4
26.Rxb6 Qd1+
27.Qe1 Rxf2+!
28.Kxf2 Rf8+
A nice finish: 29 Rf3 Rxf3+ 30 Kg2 Qxe1 31 Nxf3 Qe2+ 32 Kh3 Qxf3+ 33 Kh2 Qg2 mate.
0-1
Solution: 1 ... Nf3+! 2 gxf3 (2 Kh1 Rxh2#) Rg6+ 3 Kh1 Bxf3#